Families navigating the youth mental health system often describe it as overwhelming, fragmented, and impossible to decipher — especially in moments of crisis. In this short, high-impact conversation, Dr. Micaela Thordarson explains why care guides and strong care coordination may be the closest thing we have to a “magic wand” in youth mental health care.

In this brief but powerful conversation, we sit down with Dr. Martine Lamy from Cincinnati Children's, the nation’s largest hospital based pediatric mental health provider to explore a quiet but profound shift in youth mental health: families are finally talking — openly, honestly, and without shame. From dinner table conversations to everyday check-ins, discussing mental health with young people is becoming more normalized, and that change is saving lives.

Dr. Lamy explains why these moments of openness matter so deeply, how they help youth name their struggles earlier, and why family dialogue is one of the strongest protective factors we have. This episode highlights how cultural change — not just clinical care — is reshaping the youth mental health landscape and why creating space for these conversations at home is just as critical as any treatment plan.

Just a few years ago, the youth mental health system was overwhelmed — emergency rooms overflowing, waitlists stretching for months, and families left to navigate a broken system alone. In this concise conversation with Dr. Jamie Becker, we take stock of what’s changed since the height of COVID. This episode isn’t about declaring victory — it’s about naming progress, exposing what still isn’t working, and highlighting how a once-in-a-generation disruption has reshaped how we identify risk, connect youth to care, and build systems that are beginning to meet kids where they are.

In this short form high impact conversation with Lyndsay Gaffey, we explore why preventing youth suicide can’t happen inside clinic walls alone. Community-based models of care are transforming how trust is built, and care is delivered effectively. Learn how local partnerships remain a critical piece to the care model for young people when and where they need it most.

In today’s episode, we’re joined by a provider who’s been on the front lines of youth suicide prevention—and who’s learned, through experience, that the real turning point came from building tight, intentional partnerships with their local community.

From schools and families to youth-serving organizations and trusted local leaders, this conversation explores how shared responsibility, local trust, and community coordination can dramatically change outcomes for young people.

Because preventing youth suicide isn’t something any one provider, system, or organization can do alone—it truly takes a community.

Preventing youth suicide is a big job and as Dr. Nasuh Malas helps us understand, you can't do it without a really effective process. Tune in to this week's episode of our series Voices of Change: Preventing Youth Suicide and learn what hospitals and provider partners need to consider when building effective approaches to preventing youth suicide in their own settings. 

In this powerful episode of Voices of Change: Preventing Youth Suicide, we sit down with mental health advocate, provider, and mom Laura Love as she shares her deeply personal story of loss. Laura opens up about the heartbreak of losing her child and the urgent need for suicide prevention strategies that truly support children and families. Her experience underscores why prevention efforts must be compassionate, accessible, and designed with families at the center. This conversation is both poignant and inspiring—a call to action for all of us to create a world where every young person feels seen, heard, and supported.

Speak Our Minds brings together critical voices working to address the youth suicide crisis. Listen as we explore why these efforts are so critical and how they are taking shape in the country's largest Children's Hospitals. 

In this powerful episode, Matthew Cook, President & CEO of the Children’s Hospital Association, joins hosts Heidi Baskfield and Jason Hopcus for a candid and urgent conversation about the youth mental health crisis and the critical role Medicaid plays in addressing it.

Together, they unpack how children’s hospitals across the nation are innovating in real time—launching new models of care, embracing community partnerships, and leading bold advocacy to reimagine what mental health care can and should look like for kids.

Cook shares his vision for how the Children’s Hospital Association is aligning its national policy work with real-world hospital innovation—and why EPSDT, Medicaid, and the voices of families must be front and center in building a system that actually works.

If you care about transforming youth mental health, understanding the financial levers that make or break access, and seeing how children’s hospitals are stepping up, this conversation will leave you inspired and activated.

How do we create systems that actually learn from the people they serve? In this eye-opening episode, we explore how Learning Health Networks (LHNs) are transforming the landscape of youth mental healthcare through connection, data, and collaboration.

Jason and Heidi sit down with two national leaders in the field—Dr. Dan Hyman and Dr. Peter Margolis—to unpack the promise of LHNs in improving Medicaid-funded care. From breaking down traditional silos to uniting families, providers, and policymakers, this episode offers a clear roadmap for what’s possible when we treat healthcare like a shared mission.

What you’ll learn:

• What a Learning Health Network is—and why it matters now more than ever
• Real-world examples of LHNs driving measurable change
• How state and federal funding can be used to scale solutions that work
• What it takes to build a Learning Health Network for youth mental health from the ground up

This is more than a conversation—it’s a call to action.